Issue(s): Giant-Size Defenders #5
Cover Date: Jul 75
Title: "Eelar moves in mysterious ways!"
Credits:
Chris Claremont, Gerry Conway, Scott Edelman, Steve Gerber, Roger Slifer, & Len Wein - Plot
Steve Gerber - Script
Don Heck - Penciler
Mike Esposito & David Hunt - Inker

Review/plot:
Lots of people helped plot this issue, and all it really boils down to is that the Defenders help the Guardians of the Galaxy defeat a super-evolved eel-man...

...and then agree to help fight the Badoon.

Vance Astro is Major Victory. This issue introduces his younger self, Vance Astrovik, who will go on to become the New Warrior and Avenger called Justice.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - first Justice

Chronological Placement Considerations: This story takes place after Defenders #25 and is continued directly in Defenders #26.

References:

• Nighthawk is moping because of the betrayal by Pennysworth in Defenders #25 and the fact that Trish Starr left him in Giant-Size Defenders #4.
  
• The Guardians of the Galaxy were shown to have taken control of New York from the Badoon in Marvel Two-In-One #5. They learned that the Badoon had previously tried to take over the Earth in Silver Surfer #2.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Gerber later called this story a complete mess. He couldn't figure out what to do with Eelar after his introduction, but Don Heck was already drawing it, so he went to Conway for re-plotting help and they started inserting pages. The other 4 writers probably added stuff afterwards.

This was also Artie Simek's last lettering job (he did about 10 pages of the issue before his untimely death).

The origin of Vance Astro was taken from an AE Van Vogt sci-fi short fiction story called Far Centaurus.

CK, it also reminds me of the revised origin of Buck Rogers from the 1979 version. (In the original novel by Nowlan, Rogers encountered gas in a cave.) Could Leslie Stevens, IIRC the writer of '79 Buck Rogers have read either? It reminds me of how Lone Ranger adaptations since 1981 have had him as a lawyer-did they get that idea from the Two-Gun Kid?

RIP Artie Simek. Your lettering was great, and being an artist myself I know how meticulous you need to be to get those word bubbles perfect.

As for this issue, ugh. I've never liked Don Heck's art. His action scenes just lack action. The Hulk in a double biceps pose jumping on Eelar? Very cardboard cutout looking. How about his arms down out to his sides elbows bent hands flexed open? And that splash page looks like Hulk is dancing with Eelar. Just a total lack of movement... very stiff. And just lacks depth, very scratchy, but that could be the fault of the inker too.

The story wasn't so great either, and the dialogue in these years was starting to get sleepy. I gave this a C rating but it really should get a D.